The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) recently published the 2024 edition of its Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG).
The newly revised manual is free of charge to emergency responders and provides guidance on what to do during the initial stages of a hazmat transportation incident.
“The United States is home to the largest and most sophisticated hazardous materials transportation network in the world,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in a news release. “To keep this network safe and running, we’ve updated the Emergency Response Guidebook and are distributing almost 2 million copies to first responders across the country.”
The ERG contains an indexed list of hazardous materials and their associated ID numbers, general hazards they pose, and recommended safety precautions. PHMSA will distribute more than 1.8 million copies of the guidebook to firefighters and other first responders across the country.
“For more than 50 years, the Emergency Response Guidebook has provided emergency responders with critical information on how to respond to hazmat incidents,” PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown said. “PHMSA is proud to develop and distribute this critical safety resource that supports the heroic men and women who are on the frontlines of hazmat safety.”
Deliveries of the ERG began in February and will continue throughout 2024. The ERG is available to public safety agencies in all states, territories, and tribal entities for free through their designated state emergency management coordinators’ offices. PHMSA also developed a free ERG app for IOS and Android.